The business and culture of our digital lives, from the L.A. Times

Apple Store in New York's Grand Central Terminal to open Friday

If you are 17 years old and live in a suburb of New York accessible by Metro North, your life is about to get a bit more awesome.

On Friday, a new Apple Store will open in Grand Central Terminal, on the balcony above the stairwell that leads down to tracks 100-117.

Missed your train and have an hour to kill until the next one comes? No more slumping dejectedly against the wall glaring at the clock while texting your mom an apology. Soon you can pass the time by messing around with the latest iPad.

Apple has not released the exact square footage of what will be its fifth retail space in New York, but media reports have put the number at about 23,000 square feet. That would make it one of the world's largest Apple outlets.

In a story about the new store, the Wall Street Journal posted some renderings of how the store will look: open to the station and its ceiling dotted with constellations, the pale wood of the tables holding the Apple products matching the pale marble interior of the iconic building.

The location is also pretty cool for Apple. Roughly 750,000 people pass through Grand Central every day, and more than 1 million during the holidays, according to the terminal's official website. It also says that half the terminal's commuters have household incomes of more than $100,000.